The Atheist Foundation of Australia is pleased to support this appeal for an atheist family doing it tough.

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Two members of the Matthews family have been faced with life-threatening cancer, as well as another who has undergone preventative surgery – that’s more than their fair share of cancer!

Adam battled cancer for 13 years – his Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is now in remission. Now, Jode has advanced cervical cancer. Her survival depends on gaining access to expensive drug treatments (Avastin and Nivolumab) in Australia and the USA.

Meanwhile, their daughter, Georgia (20), has required two preventative surgeries this year to remove growths that risked becoming cervical cancer. While Georgia’s prognosis is good, the cost of her surgeries, on top of Jode being unable to work, has pushed the family’s finances to breaking point.

Jode is handling her chemotherapy really well. If you passed her on the street, or met her casually, you might not recognize her as a cancer patient. She doesn’t like to ‘talk up’ the cancer ‘angle’, and shuns the self-indulgent ‘illness culture’.

But, a positive attitude can only get you so far. Real medicine costs money. With their financial predicament becoming desperate, Adam reached out to the secular community for help. How would we say, “No”? The Matthews are members of our own community, in need of our help.

Adelaide-born couple Jode and Adam have two kids together and a happy marriage — but for more than a decade now, their lives have been marred by illness.

Jode has the most severe form of cervical cancer there is — a diagnosis that comes after helping Adam through his own 13-year battle with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, now thankfully in remission. The couple’s youngest daughter Georgia also had to undergo two surgeries this year to remove growths that risked becoming cervical cancer.

“Their 22-year marriage has been happy and full of love, but filled with financial stress and poor health,” Georgia says of her adoring parents.

“Ever since I can remember, my parents have been plagued by health issues getting in the way of their success and happiness.

Our parents have been in a constant battle that doesn’t look like it will end any time soon.”

The cost of these illnesses has pushed the Brisbane-based family’s finances to breaking point, especially as Jode’s deteriorating health means she can no longer work. Even the imminent sale of the family home is unlikely to fund all the medication Jode, 46, needs.

Fortunately for the Matthews, though, their community has rallied around them in a touching show of solidarity and altruism.

“Other people might reach out to their church, their service club or sporting organisation,” Adam Matthews tells Mamamia. “When we realised that, in order to save Jode’s life, we needed far more money than we could manage, we reached out to the Australian secular and sceptical community.”

Related content: How an atheist and a Christian raise their daughter.

Jode and Adam, who were founding members of the Sunshine Coast Atheists, drew on their close ties to secular and sceptic groups across the country and reached out to atheist blogger Chrys Stevenson, who ultimately helped launch an appeal to raise money for Jode’s treatment.

Since its launch on 4 July, the Jode Matthews Cancer & Family Appeal has already attracted an impressive figure.

“In just one week, the secular community, along with friends, family and acquaintances, have contributed over $18,000 towards Jode’s treatment,” Adam says. “We are completely blown away by their love and support.”

Adam tells Mamamia his family’s story is not just one of tragedy. Rather, it highlights an uplifting, often overlooked fact: that you absolutely don’t need to be religious to be charitable.

“This is a story about a community that is often maligned as being militant, materialistic and selfish which has rallied to help one of their own,” Adam says.

“It is a misconception that most of the world’s major charities are religious. Many people who follow no religion contribute to secular charities such as Medicins sans Frontiéres, Amnesty International and the Red Cross.”

Jode’s appeal has the support of some of Australia’s most well-known secular organisations including the Council of Australian Humanist Societies, the Humanist Society of Queensland, the Atheist Foundation of Australia and the Facebook-based Women Without Religion.

Drum roll please .... Just got results from my scans. The 2 tumours in my lungs are now <3mm. They were previously >1cm each. They don't really care about another tumour I have - lungs are my big issue. So this is considered an excellent response to my treatment and they are happy for me to now drop chemo and continue with Avastin. I'm sitting in the waiting room holding back happy tears cause I don't want to scare the other patients. A huge thank you to all of you for so much love and support.